− Thank you, Betsy!
First off…A belated HAPPY NEW YEAR from all of us at Hekab Be, and an apology for not getting an update in time for the January AkumalNow newsletter. We hope you all follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hekab/ and have seen the wonderful photos
Happy clothes! 
Merry Christmas!
from the Christmas party. It was a big success, and ‘Red Beard’ ? Santa did a great job handing out the gifts to excited children. Thank you to everyone in the Akumal community, both here and away, for the generous donations that gave the families of Hekab Be some extra Christmas cheer this year. and their families. We also give a big thank you to the local businesses that donated food, drinks, and treats for the party, including Tequilaville, El Ultimo Maya, Taquería Maya, Taverna, Turtle Bay Café, La Buena Vida, and Lol Ha. Many of these businesses have been loyal Hekab Be supporters for many, many years and are always willing to step up and help out, not only with events but on a regular day-to-day basis. We appreciate you all!
The Hekab Be beautification project continues If you follow us online or have stopped by recently you will have noticed our beautiful new murals by Rory Eade. https://www.facebook.com/yum.kaax.7. A fantastic artist who reproduces pre-Hispanic art from archeological sites, Rory has not only shared his talent at Hekab Be, but is working his way around Akumal painting traditional artworks. You can see his depiction of the famous mural from the great ball court at Chichen Itza on the wall of the cancha (basketball court) in Akumal Pueblo. Great location for it! As well as the beautification from the murals, we recently completed work to fix up the concrete façade and roofs of the library buildings, and will be working on the inside of the classrooms soon. Kaori’s big dream is to install a soft cover for the play area to protect the children when they fall.
We are continuing with our regular classes for the new year, and cooking class is always a favorite. Recently we had some parents show the children how to roast vegetables in a campfire. The roasted yams were delicious!
Cooking over fire Mmmm, yams!
Speaking of volunteers…. At Hekab Be we are blessed with many visitors who stop by to visit the children and join in classes, and our parents are wonderful at helping Kaori and Lucy on a daily basis. We have a core group of board members …. but unfortunately here in Akumal there is just me – Betsy! This means we are in desperate need of volunteers who live here in Akumal to help with fund-raising, co-ordinating projects, and general publicity such as writing this newsletter (you may have noticed I am not so good at getting it written on time each month!)
If anyone reading this would like to volunteer, please email me at [email protected], or talk to me in person. Your help would be very much appreciated! I’m also on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hekabbe/
Thank you, and please stop by Hekab Be any weekday afternoon between 3:30pm and 6:00pm to meet the children and join in with a class. Everyone is always welcome!
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